Public land ?

[tomhighland]

We are told that we are not allowed to detect on numerous publicly owned lands mostly because of fear we will damage it or destroy or remove historical artifacts. At the same time these same lands are leased to coal and oil companies for $3.00 an acre. Sometimes for strip mining. That is a bigger hole than I can make. They certainly have no concern about damage or history. The thought being that since the supreme court has ruled that corporations are people and have the same rights (citizens united). Should I not have equal footing and the same lease rights and price under that same decision? Imagine for$300.00 you should have exclusive rights to 100 acres.

 

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[Tom_in_CA]

tom-highland, you told you that you are not allowed to detect on numerous publicly owned lands ? Md'rs routinely detect public land all the time, no problem. Is there a particular place you had in mind, that someone's telling you this ?

 

[dfallis1]

where a orange traffic vest, they assume you are site surveying

 

[tomhighland]

On the shore of lake michigan from Point Betsie all the way to the Mackinac bridge is national lakeshore. The rangers there are way different than the ones farther downshore. They will not even allow people to pick up Petoskey stones on the beach knowing full well that in time these stones will be naturally ground away to nothing. They have even tried to limit people on mushrooms harvested there. I am about fifty miles south of there and have a lifetime of places to hunt but I am a rover at heart. Just do not like the idea of anything that is supported by tax dollars being that regulated.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

You've named this one spot. But is that "numerous publicly owned lands" ? Ok, sure: There are some types of federal/national administered lands that perhaps there's some true rule. Like at National parks . Not sure of the exact status of your particular lake-shore (national park or ... whatever?). But other forms of federal land (blm and lots of NFS) are not dis-allowed. And you have oodles of other forms of public land in your area, that isn't of that type. Ie.: various types state, county, city lands, and perhaps types of fed. land where there isn't such strictures.

As for the logic you cite about the stones you can't pick up, well ... you gotta put yourself in their shoes: If they say "yes you can pick up stones" (afterall, they're just gonna get worn down to nothing anyhow), then : What's to stop someone from backing their truck up to the lake-shore and harvesting them for commercial sale on large-scale basis ? So ALL parks, beaches, forests, etc... (no matter WHO administers them), will have verbage that disallows harvesting, collecting, removing, etc... Right ? Lest the "camel's nose be in the tent", blah blah.

I bet such rules, when followed to their logical extreme, would technically disallow your 9 yr. old daughter from picking up a seashell at the beach here in CA, to use on her grade school art project. And if you asked enough of the powers-that-be: "Can I Pick up a seashell?", they'd probably have to say "no". But seriously now, did anyone really care ?

Not saying to throw caution to the wind, or traipse yourself in front of archie busy- bodies looking for trouble. But ... just saying don't over-think it. There's lots of places to md. I've heard of people md'ing the shores of the great lakes there. Not sure if there's certain beaches that are ok, versus others that aren't ? Or perhaps they didn't ask long enough and hard enough of enough people ? I dunno.